It was revealed on Monday that celebrity star Grace Dent left the show after ‘losing all her energy’ at camp and reaching breaking point before doing another Bushtucker Trial.
Filming for the ITV show started on Friday 17, with Grace oozing confidence and energy as she took part in the Pole Position trial, which saw her dangling herself from a 32-storey building.
But by last Sunday’s show, Grace had become a shell of her former self, with fans expressing concern about her “scarily ill” appearance.
An insider has since revealed to MailOnline that the decision to leave was mutually decided by Grace and show bosses, who intervened after seeing her visible decline in the camp.
Before entering the jungle, the 50-year-old food critic had revealed that she would be “strong and resilient” in the camp because of her past tragedies.
From: Revealed on Monday I’m a Celebrity Star, Grace Dent quit the show after ‘losing all her energy’ in camp and reaching breaking point before taking another test
Speaking: Ahead of her entry into the jungle, the food critic, 50, had revealed she would be ‘strong and resilient’ in the camp because of her past tragedies
Grace shed light on her personal life as she revealed that she has lost both of her parents in the past “four or five years” and confessed that she believes her loss will make her stronger on the show.
The star admitted she “went through a really difficult time” after caring for her dementia father before he passed away, while she later lost her mother to cancer in a short space of time.
She said: ‘This is going to be a big challenge and now that I’m older, life is for living and it’s one of the reasons I said yes.’
Grace has spoken publicly about her parents and in 2020 she wrote in The Guardian about her father’s battle with dementia, writing: ‘There’s so much I want to say to Dad, but I can’t bring myself…
‘Dementia is really uncomfortable, not only painful and frightening, embarrassing, I don’t like being left alone with Dad. But sometimes I see fear in his eyes…
“Sometimes, the way Dad talks these days, his brain catches up halfway through a nonsensical sentence, and in that moment he understands the utter ridiculousness of what he’s saying, and pure shame crosses his face.”
Grace was born and raised by her parents in Carlisle and went on to study at Stirling University, gaining herself a degree in English Literature.
During her studies, Grace began her journalism career by writing features for Cosmopolitan, according to The Sun.
Heartbreak: Before heading into the jungle, Grace shed light on her personal life as she revealed she has lost both her parents in the past ‘four or five years’ (pictured with her mother)
Daddy’s girl: The star cared for her father with dementia before he passed away, while she later lost her mother to cancer within a short time (pictured with her father)
After leaving full-time education, she had quite an illustrious writing career, working as an editorial assistant for Vogue and then as a freelance journalist for various magazines such as Marie Claire, Glamor and more.
She also wrote about all things TV for 12 years, from 2000 to 2012, before finding her way to The Independent.
For six years she wrote a restaurant column called ‘Grace and Flavour’, for The Evening Standard.
The food critic is currently employed by The Guardian.
Grace often appears on various TV shows criticizing people’s boards – you may have seen them on MasterChef: The Professionals, Celebrity MasterChef, MasterChef UK.
She was also a judge on a BBC program called Great British Menu.
But you won’t just find Grace in the kitchen, she has also appeared on a range of shows including The Apprentice: You’re Fired, The Now Show on Radio 4, Have I Got News For You, Very British Problems.
The food critic has also appeared in Pointless Celebrities, The Review Show Film 2012, Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe, The Culture Show and Alan Davies: As Yet Untitled.
Foodie Grace has also written numerous novels over the years and was even shortlisted for the Queen of Teen award in 2008.
Her book series for teens include Diary of a Snob, Diary of a Chav, and LBD.
She published her first non-fiction novel called How To Leave Twitter (My Time as Queen of the Universe and Why This Must Stop) in 2011.
Grace had previously vowed never to take part in I’m A Celeb, describing the show as ‘a childish venture into famine, televised constipation and animal cruelty, abbreviated by adverts for £1 Icelandic curries.’
Still, she changed her mind this year and joined the series before her untimely departure this week.
A source close to the MasterChef star told MailOnline: ‘Grace decided to leave the jungle shortly after it was announced she would be doing the latest Bushtucker Trial.
‘Knowing that she was facing a new tough challenge was the straw that broke the camel’s back.’
As seen on screen: Grace often appears on various TV shows and criticizes people’s plates – you may have seen them appear on MasterChef: The Professionals (pictured with Tom Parker Bowles and Tracey MacLeod)
They continued: ‘It was mutually agreed that she would withdraw from the competition, it was clear she was not herself, she had lost all energy, whilst normally she is witty and fun to be around.
‘ITV’s duty of care and welfare teams have stepped in, and rightly so.
‘She had been struggling since living in the camp with fewer amenities, the weather was particularly miserable this year and as a restaurant critic, not eating well proved to be harder than she ever imagined.
‘Grace is looking forward to seeing her loved ones again now and after a few days of rest and recovery everything will be fine.’
Grace has had a tough time since she started her journey filming the Pole Position Trial on Friday, November 24, and last week she threatened to quit the show.
ITV confirmed her departure on Saturday with a statement saying: ‘Sadly, Grace Dent has left the show for medical reasons. She has been a great campmate and will be missed by her fellow celebrities and viewers.”